National Philanthropies

Girl Scouts

In 1998, Kappa Delta began a national collaboration with Girl Scouts, an organization of over three million girls. With this partnership, Kappa Delta became the first and only National Panhellenic Conference group to adopt the Girl Scouts as a national philanthropy.

Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. The same could be said for Kappa Delta as it relates to young women. With common values and a commitment to leadership development, Kappa Delta and Girl Scouts are sisters at heart.

Girl Scouts provides Kappa Delta members opportunities for face-to-face volunteering. Each year, Kappa Deltas across the country devote over 125,000 hours to working with Girl Scouts in their communities. Popular KD Girl Scout events are self-esteem workshops, campus tours, International Girls Day celebrations and anti-bullying workshops.

Prevent Child Abuse America

Since 1984, Kappa Delta collegiate and alumnae chapters have held Shamrock events — local fundraisers that vary from pancake breakfasts and 5K runs to silent auctions and golf tournaments — to support the prevention of child abuse. Shamrock events, staged by thousands of Kappa Delta women in hundreds of communities nationwide, are held throughout the year and have earned local and national media attention.

Every year, KD collegiate and alumnae chapters raise more than $2 million to benefit child abuse prevention efforts. A full 80 percent of the money raised stays in the community and is donated to local child-abuse prevention agencies; the remaining 20 percent goes to the Kappa Delta Foundation to support Prevent Child Abuse America’s national office for its national programs. PCAA was founded by a Kappa Delta, the late Donna Stone, Lambda-Northwestern, which makes the cause that much more relevant to the sorority.

Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU

In 1921, Kappa Deltas in our founding state became interested in the fine work being done by a pioneer in treating polio victims. William Tate Graham, M.D., became renowned for his revolutionary approaches, and never turned away any patient for inability to pay. Beginning with the support of two beds in the fledgling clinic, Kappa Delta made a commitment to help.

Currently, Children’s Hospital treats all manner of children’s problems. Still no one is turned away for financial reasons. The Kappa Delta Foundation continues to provide support for this historical philanthropy.

Orthopaedic Research Awards

Often called the “Nobel Prize of orthopaedic research,” Kappa Delta’s Orthopaedic Research Awards are presented annually through the American Academy of Orthopaedic Research. Three $20,000 awards recognize outstanding research and enable the researchers to continue their efforts.

The awards have gone to researchers who have made key discoveries pertaining to bone grafting, polio, scoliosis, club foot, knee replacement, osteoporosis, arthroscopic surgery and children’s growth problems – in short, most of the leading orthopaedic advances of the past 60-plus years. First presented in 1950, the awards have grown in stature to become the most coveted awards in this field.

The awards are made possible through member support of the Kappa Delta Foundation.